Risk Management of Chemical Substances:
The ECHA Sees a Need to Regulate 1,900 Chemicals

Of the approximately 4,100 substances manufactured or imported in the EU in quantities of more than 100 tons per year, around 1,900 should be regulated. That’s what the ECHA determined in its review of substances as part of the integrated regulatory strategy (IRS) and published in a report.

Examples of regulatory risk management measures include harmonized classification and labeling or restriction under REACH. However, according to the report, two out of three of the 1,900 substances identified would require further data to confirm the relevant hazards.

Background

The ECHA is using the reviews to clarify which of the substances registered under REACH should have priority regulations. Some substance groups have already been included in the EU road map for restrictions, including:

Bisphenols
Ortho-phthalates
Hydrocarbylsiloxanes and hydrocarbylphenols.

The overarching goal of ECHA is to use the IRS to obtain substance data more quickly and identify groups of substances of concern more rapidly to accelerate the overall regulatory process. According to the ECHA, cooperation between the ECHA, the authorities of the member states, and the European Commission has already improved.

Next steps

The ECHA will continue IRS activities from 2024 to 2028 with a focus on agreeing and implementing risk management measures more quickly. In doing so, the authorities should act according to the principle of one substance – one assessment (OSOA).

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